On June 6, Jackie Siegel's daughter, Victoria Elizabeth Siegel, 18, was found unresponsive by a housekeeper at the family's home in Florida. Victoria was immediately taken to Health Central Hospital but was pronounced dead on the same day.
When the incident happened, the Siegels were traveling to Park City, Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada. The family nanny, Virginia Nebab, told Daily Mail Online that the girl did not want to join them in their travel, that is why she was alone at home with their housekeepers.
Nebab admitted that they were attending a wedding when they heard about what happened to Victoria and all were screaming and crying after hearing the terrible news over the phone. The news prompted them to return to Florida immediately.
Amid the grief Jackie is now going through after losing her "earthyly angel" daughter, she was not able to escape the scrutinizing eye of the public which criticized her after being caught taking pictures and or videos of her daughter's remains using a smartphone while holding a soft drink container.
In a report from Daily Mail, there are online posts that described Jackie's actions as "gross", " inappropriate" and "weird." Others were not satisfied by the manner of Jackie's mourning. The New York Post even called Jackie "tacky."
However, the people should not be quick to judge, the family admitted that they were heartbroken and devastated over Victoria's death. The statement was released through the family's spokesman, Michael Marden.
Marden in a letter said, "People deal with grief differently. Mrs Siegel is grieving as we all are. I have been with the family starting from the very first moment they learned of Victoria's death and I can tell you that she has cried ... a lot ... and has been on an emotional roller coaster."
In the same statement, Marden said that there was no manual that tells one how to grieve. The family is coping with the tragedy together, they sleep together in the large family room of the house, they cry together and everyone has been there for each other to talk, to care and to love.
Madern added, "The family has been through a terrible tragedy and has been hurt enough, and the way Mrs Siegel is being portrayed by some in the media is just adding additional pain, not only to her, but to the entire family."
The family revealed that Victoria struggled addiction of prescription drugs that were initially administered to her for her seizures. They also revealed that Victoria received several hateful text messages from her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend that could have affected here emotional state when she was emotionally vulnerable.
Although it is not yet confirmed, many believe the cause of death was an overdose. To help teens with the same problems with that of Victoria, the Siegel family announced the Victoria Siegel Foundation. The foundation aims to help teens with addiction problems. The family asked that contribution to the foundation be made in lieu of flowers, ET Online reports.
